Automobile door lock



Jan. 15, 1952 E. D. DALL 2,582,926

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK Filed April 25, 194'? 3 Sheets-Sheet l /0-lw In I"- n I 38 MM I i KL T 36 1 72 5277 0F .EDW RD D ,DALL

Jan. 15,1952 E. a. DALL AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 25, 1947 272 527 227? ED-WARD D DAL;

Jan. 15, 1952 DALL 2,582,926

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LOCK Filed April 25, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Jan. 15, 1952 Edward D. Dali; Detroit, Mich, assignor to Houdaille-Hershey Corporation, a corporation of Michigan Application Amines, 1947, Serial .No. 743,842

. 1. This invention relates to a. door lock; and more particularly to a lock or latch mechanism foruse' on automobile doors.

A general object of the present. invention is to provide a door. lock or. latch mechanism of simplified construction, yet capable or performing a number of necessary and important door latch functions.

particular object of the invention .istopro vide an improved lock structure having a rotary bolt and means associated therewith for firmly retaining the bolt at latching position.

- Another object of the inventionis to provide a lock structure havinga'rota'ry bolt and mechanism for retaining the same in a. plurality of latching positions and latch controls operable from the inside and outside of the door for re!- leasing the mechanism.

Another object of the invention is to provide in alatch structure a rotary bolt and mechanism for retaining. the bolt in a plurality of latching positions, together with a: latchcontrol operable from. the outside of the, door and movable parallel to the edge of the door for selectively cooperatin with the retaining mechanism to. hold the bolt. in-latching position'jor'i to release the retaining mechanism .to'permit the unlatching rotation of the bolt.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lockstructure including a. rotary bolt and a 'take -iip mechanism automatically operable to hold the bolt. latched, andla latch release mech- 'anism releasable. bya,very light pressure regardjless of the. tightness'l'with which: the bolt is engaged inthe keeper.

Another object is to provide a lock mechanism which will re-latch itself automatically during door opening, unless the latch release mechanism is held in releasing position intent'i'o'nally until the door is opened enough'to dis- .eng igethe bolt from the keeper. I Other and further. objects and advantages of ithe invention will -become apparent from a perusal or the specification ahdidraw n s, or will be specifically mentioned herein.

."On thedrawings:-

' Figure I is a side elevation of that portion of .the lockmech'anism which. is mounted parallel to the edge of the door, and showing the same inside. release plate.

I Figure 3' is. a sectional view ofja portion of the lock structure taken at the position of the 3 Claims. (01. 292-216) line 111411" ofFigure 2am. showing addition-1 ally in elevation. a keeper plate which is not shown in Figure. 2. This figure shows the 'rotary bolt entering the keeper. but not rotated out of .normal unlatched position.

' Figure 4. is a view similar to" Figure 3 but shows the rotary bolt rotated to door latching position. l Figure 5 is a side elevation of the lock struc ture, showing the position of the parts when the rotary bolt is' in a"p0sitiv'ely latched posi tion, yet not at the position which the parts would occupy if a door carryingithem were fully closed. v Figure 6 is a side elev'atlonshowing only the lock mechanism which is mounted. parallel] to the inside wallof the door; and showing the lockedposition of 'aflocking plate controllable either by a key from the outside orb'y a button and rod from the inside. s

Figure 7 is an elevation similar'to Figure-'6; showing the same locking plate rotated to its unlocked position, and showing additionall'yithe remote control linkage for connection with an insidehandle; Figure 8 is'an' elevation showing'the position to which the inside release lever may be'ro tate'd for the purpose of unlatching the door; "Figure 9 is an elevational view showinga' por; tion of thefilocking structurein the position which it occupies when in-a safety? positionrfi Figure 10 is a sectional view onylineX*X oi Figurel.

Figure 11 is a side elevation ofthe striker p t As shown on the drawings: The lock structure made in accordance with the present invention is; distinguishable from manypriorautomobile door locks in th'at'it does not include" a' safety latch bolt in addition to the main bolt. Rather, in the present; invention; a single rotary bolt serves not'onlyto hold a doorin fully latched-positidn, but also-in any of" a plurality of positions-in which the door ma not be closedtightly; but is nevertheless "prevented from opening.

While" the lock casing might consist of two separate plates secured together" approximately at right angles to each other, it is preferred that they be formed from a single sheet of metal, shaped'ior installation so that one flange of the casing plate will lie parallel to. the" edge of the door, while the other lies approximately parallel to the inside wall of the door. 'The portion of the casing which is designed 'bOIDfi Ij' allel the edge of the door will be referred to herein as the door edge plate I0, whereas the other portion of the lock casing will be referred to as the inner casing plate II.

The rotary bolt A is mounted for pivotal movement on a post l2 rigidly supported on the edge plate It] and comprises two arms, the arm I3 serving as a striker arm, and the other arm l4 serving as a latching arm.

A small housing for the rotary bolt is secured to the outer surface of the edge plate I and comprises a vertical wall l5, two end walls [6 and I1, and a bottom wall 18. Projections on the bottom and end walls may extend through small cooperating slots in the edge plate l0 and be swaged over on the inside surface of the edge plate 10 to thus firmly secure the housing to that plate. The housing could be secured in any other suitable manner. The outer end of the post I2 is also supported in the outer wall l5 of the rotary bolt housing.

It will be noted upon reference to Figures 3 and 4 that this bolt housing cooperates with the keeper when the bolt is entering the keeper and also subsequently when the door is in latched position it coacts with the bolt to prevent vertical movement of the edge of the door relative to the keeper.

For holding the door in any of a plurality of latched positions, that is, between partially and fully closed positions. I provide a take-up mechanism which includes an arm l9 pivotally supported on a post 29 secured to the edge plate 10, and held thereon by cap screw 2|, and a take-up arm 22, the latter being pivotally sup ported at its lower end upon a post 23 which is secured to the latching arm of the rotary bolt. The post '23v extends inwardly of the lock casing through a curved slot 24 provided in the edge plate l0, hence as the rotary bolt oscillates the post 23 will carry the lower end of the take-up arm along with it.

The outer end of the post 23 is provided with a kerf in which one end 25 of a spring 26 is positioned and pinched therein to hold it securely. The spring 26 is wound a number of times about the post 23 and its free end rests upon projection 28 which is integral with the take-up arm 22. The end of the post 12 extends through the edge plate Ill and has formed integrally therewith, or attached thereto, a collar 29, and if-it be a separate collar, it may be held on the post by swaging the end of the post I2.

Referring now to Figure 1, if the latch mechanism be in its unlatched position, that is when the door is open, the spring 26 will tend to rotate the take-up arm 22 about the post 23 until the projection 28 on the take-up arm rests against the collar 29. I

When the rotary bolt enters a keeper 39, mounted on the door post, during the closing of the door, the latching head I4 is lying quite substantially within the bolt housing, as shown in Figure 3, hence the striker arm l3 of the bolt will engage the strike surface 3| of the keeper and initiate the rotation of the bolt. As the bolt moves further into the keeper, the takeup arm 22 is carried along with it, the inclined surface 32 on the rotor segment arm l9 slidingly guiding the flange or hook 33 at the upper end of the take-up arm, until the hook engages the serrations such as 34 provided on the rotor segment arm, by which time the latching head of the bolt will have rotated upwardly far enough to engage the latching surface 35 in the keeper if the door closing pressure should cease. The spring 26, which is relatively strong, will press the hook 33 firmly against these serrations, and when the closing pressure on the door ceases, the take-up arm will hold the bolt at the position then attained, and the bolt will prevent opening movement of the door. Should the closing pressure on the door be continued and the bolt advanced further into the keeper, the take-up arm hook will move further along the rotor segment arm toward the pivoted end thereof. As the projection 28 will have moved away from collar 29 on post I2 the spring 26 is free to act on the take-up arm.

Upon reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5 it will be appreciated that any pressure on the door tending to-open it, while the take-up mechanism is so engaged, will cause the take-up arm merely to grip the rotor segment arm 19 more firmly, without any tendency to slip toward the release position.

The outside latch release mechanism for this look structure will now be described.

The outside release or latch control mechanism includes a reciprocable plate 36 whose outer end is provided with a flange 31, and whose inner end is provided with a pair of flanges 38 and 39. The lower flange 39 rides on an outwardly turned flange 49 which is punched out of the inside casing plate II and thus supports the inner end of the outside release plate. The upper flange 38 slides in contact with an outwardly turned flange 4| which is likewise punched out from the plate II and assists in guiding of the reciprocatory movement of the outside release plate. An elongated slot 42 guides and supports the outer end of the release plate on the post 26. A spring 43 wound about this post, and having one end 44 anchored in a punched out ear 45 provided on the casing plate 10, and having its other end 46 acting on the flange 41 integral with the release plate 36 will normally urge the release plate toward the outer position, which is shown in Figtires 1 and 5.

l The flange 31 may be operated upon directly by a push button which, in accordance with usual practice, could be resiliently mounted in the outside surface of the door, but as such. push buttons, per se, are old, the button is not shown herein. On the other hand, the flange 31 could be acted upon by one end of a pivoted handle, of the type which rotates about a vertical pivot usually with the short end of the handle swinging into the door to push a release mechanism. Such handles are well known and need not be herein illustrated.

Not only does the lower flange 39 of the outside release plate support and guide this plate in its reciprocatory' movement, but as shown in Figure 5 this flange also supports thenose 48 at the inner extremity of the rotor segment arm l9. Hence, when the bolt occupies a latching engagement with the keeper and the spring'26 is pressing the take-up arm firmly upon the upper serrated surface of the rotor segment arm l9, the nose 48 will rest upon the flange 39. In this function, the flange 39 therefore cooperates with the members 22 and IQ for retaining the bolt in any of a'plurality of latching positions.

To release the latched bolt from the outside of the door, it is necessary only to push the .release plate 36 inwardly by means of a button or handle until the flange "39 passes out from underneath the nose 48, whereupon the pressure is provided in this look structure.

of the spring 26 will cause the rotor segment arm to drop downwardly to about the position shown in Figure 9. If the release plate beheld in-release position, the door may then be pulled open, the bolt freely rotating from such a position as is shown in Figure 4 to its normal unlatched position shownin Figure 3. Such movement'will restore the take-up arm 22 to the position shown in Figure 1.

The take-up arm is' further provided with a post 49- which extends laterally beneath the lower edge of the rotor segment arm [9. When the latch is released and the door moved from latched to open position, thispost will ride along the'curved surface portions 50 and 50" ofthe rotor segment arm and cause the arm to be raised, as shown in Figure 1, somewhat above the flange 39. The post 49 and surfaces 50 and 50" are so related that when the door is being opened the rotor segment arm [9 will first drop down to lower the nose 48 bclowthe position which itoccupies in Figure and eventually raise it to the position shown in Figure 1.

The inside latch release mechanism is constructed and operates as follows:

" Post 5'! having an enlarged head 52 is fixed on the inside casing plate II and provides a pivotal support: for the inside release p1ate'53'.

erably punched out from the outside release 'plate- 36, as indicated by the punch-out opening '61 shown in Figure l, for example. This inclined ear orfiange 60 is positioned for cooperation with an inclined projection or finger 62 bent at an angle from the main plane of the inside release plate. Upon rotating the inside release plate counterclockwise, as Figure 6 is viewed, this'inclined finger 62 will engage the flange 60 slidlngly and will cause the outside release plate to move inwardly, that is-to the right, as Figure "5 is viewed, until the nose48 becomes'disengaged from the lower flange 39 on the outside release plate. Thus, if the door be at that time latched,

the inside handle mechanism will release the take-up arm and permit the doorto be opened.

Means for locking the outside release mechanism against actuation from outside the door A locking plate 63 is pivotally supported preferably by forming a lateral boss 64 thereon which will extend into a circular aperture provided in the inside casing plate II, this aperture and boss thereby constituting a bearing for the plate. A cover plate 65 having inwardly turned flangeswhich may be secured to the casing plate II in any suitable or well known manner will partially coverthe lower end of the locking plate :to: retain the boss 64 in its bearing aperture. When the lockingplate 63 is rotated to the lock- .;ing:-1 osition shown in Figure 6, a flange 66 thereon (see Figure 5) will be located in position to .be struck by a downwardly extending portion 161-- of: the outside release plate, should any attempt be madev to push that .release plate in.-

iwardly. Thus, the door 'cannotbe. opened from :the outside. when so. locked. In the eventthat the inside of the car by a rod 69 having at aslower end a lateralprojection Ill which extends through the slot 11 in the locking plate 63 and also through an inclined slot 12 provided in the inside casin plate I I As in customary, meme may: extend upwardly through the window ledge or'se'lvageand have-a button of usual construction mounted on theupper end thereof. It is apparent that upon raising therod 69 the locking plate will be rotated tounlocked position, and by pushing the rod downwardly, the platewilhbe moved to locked position.

The inside releaseplate- 53' is provided with a finger or projection 13 which, as shown inFigure 6, adjoins the uppermost projection M 0f the locking plate, when the locking plate' is mas locking position. By operating the insidehandle the inside releaseplate may be swung counter clockwise causing this locking plateto be moved out of locking position.

The bottom edge of the-locking plate-is prefer ably provided with two detents 15- and 15 for cooperatlon with a leaf spring 16 for holding the locking plate in either of its two-positions. This leaf spring preferably is anchored at one end by extending it through asuitable slot H in the cover plate andbending it against that cover plate; f It will now-be appreciated that the take-up mechanism which holds the bolt in latching posi tion can be released by reciprocation of the-outside release plate, this plate being either operated directly by an outside handle or push button or it may be operated upon the inside releas mechanism just described.

In Figure 9 I have shown the door'lock structure in a position which maybe termed a safety position. Here'it will be noted that the nose All of the segment arm extends underneath the flange 39 of the outside release plate. The out}- side release plate is in its normal unoperated position and the flange 33 on the-take-up arm is engaged with the serrations on therotor-segment arm. At the same time, the post 49 extending laterally from the take-up arm, is engaged with a portion of the under surface of the segment armat a point where further clockwise-movement of the post 49' would tend to lift the rotor segment arm- I9. However, under the safety condition here illustrated, the rotor segment arm cannot be lifted because the nose- 48 thereof is positioned beneath the flange 39. Hence, any further unlocking movement of the bolt. is prevented, and the latching head of the bolt being still engaged with the latching surface of the keeper'structure will therefore hold the door from further opening, although it does. not hold it fully closed.

The position illustrated in Figure 9 is attained as follows:

Assume that the door has been fully closed and fully latched. Further assume that an occupant of the caraccidentally rotatesthe inside handle enough to impart .a releasing movement to the outside. release plate 36, that is, far enough to permit the segment arm nose 48 to drop down be.- low the. dance 39, butthe occupant thereupon releases the inside handle mechanism without pushing the dooropen. The spring 43 which acts on the outside release plate will snap it back to its normal unoperated position and the flange 39 will therefore holdthe nose 48 in the position shown in Figure 9. This safety featurepof the locking structure is important inthe event a child should accidentally or playfully release the inside handle mechanism, but not push the door open. As soon as he lets goof the handle, the locking structure will assume the safety position and the door will be held firmly against men n 5 Also, if the driver should pull the door closed by means of the inside handle but have the handle turned to its unlatching position while he doesso, the release of the handle while the door is closed will cause the lower flange 39 to slide over the top of thenose 4-8, thus setting the latch mechanism at safety position and the door will be held partially, though not tightly, closed.

While the bolt is being rotated into latching position by the keeper during door closing, if the outside release plate flange 39 is not in position to support the nose 48, the spring 26 acting on the take-up arm 22 will pullthe rotor segment arm l9 downwardly and drop the nose 4am the position shown in Figure 9. To fully and normally latch the door after it has been held in safety position, it is necessary to fully operate the latch release mechanism from either side of the door, rotate the bolt to unlatched position by door opening movement relainner surface of the casing plate I I. In this position the projection 19 is so aligned relatively to the inclined flange 80 on the locking plate 63 that it will block the locking plate from being rotated into thecorner at the juncture of the two casing plates [0 and II, that is, into its normal locking position, One purpose of this feature is to prevent the driver of the car from looking himself out while the keys are still in the ignition lock, for example. Should he have the door open and attempt to push the inside push button control ;rod 69 downwardly to move this locking plate into full locking position, his efiorts will be blocked by the projection 19 on the take-up arm. Ac-

cordingly, he must first close the door-and then .use a keyfrom the outside to rotate the locking plate 63 into its proper locking position.

In the event of a collision which might exert forces which would cause the hook 33 on arm 22 to break, if the locking plate 63 is in locked position at that time, the bolt still will not unlatch completely, as the projection 19 on the take-up arm will strike flange B0 on the lock plate and prevent the bolt from rotating sufiiciently to escape from the keeper. Hence the door will not open until the inside handle or the key or inside button is employed to move the lock plat to unlocked position.

However, if it be wished to equip some of the doors of an automobile, Whether havin key controlled locks thereon or not, so that the push rod may be pushed down into locking position while the door is open, it is necessary only to provide the lock structures on such door with a locking plate -63 in which the flange 80 is cut ofi. With this portion of the locking plate removed, there will be no interference between .this plate and the projeotion 19 when the plate is rotated to locking position; hence, when the door is open one may push the rod 69 downwardly and then slam the door, and it will remain locked against release by the outside handle. v While Figure 5, shows the take-up armmoved counterclockwise partially along the serrated sur face of the rotor segment ar m, it shouldbe understood that upon further closing of the door the rotarybolt may advance further into the keeper and the take-up arm may alsomove further to t elef ;-'..1 A meritorious feature of this take-up mechanism resides in the ease with which the lock may be unlatched, and will now be mentioned. As soon as the flange or hook 33 of the take-u arm has been moved by the rotary bolt into contact with the serrated portion of the rotor segment arm IS, the door is held firmly latched, even though not fully closed. Any pressure exerted on the door tending to open it will merely tighten the engagement, of the take-up arm upon therotorsegment arm and hold the door even more securely. If the door be closed further, the take-up arm will merely advance along the serrated arm. After this furthermovemenuif the door post be equipped withthe usual resilient bumpers, the bumpers will cause the bolt to be pressed more firmly against the keeper, yet it does not follow that the releasing mechanism is thereby rendered more diflicult to release. In fact, it is no more or substantially no more difiicult to release the plate 35 when the door is tightly closed, than when it is only barely latched. While there may be more pressure of the take-up arm 22 upon the segment arm 19 when the door is tightly closed, the point at which this pressure is applied is farther away from the point at which the segment arm bears down upon the flange 39 of the outsiderelease plate; hence the resultant pressure on flange 39 is not increased by tighter closing of the door. Accordingly a door equipped with a lock made in accordance with this invention is at all times easily released. The yalue of this feature will be appreciated when it is recalled that many of .the prior lock structures were more diliicult to release when the doors equipped with them were more tightly closed.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown and described here in considerable detail, it should be understood that the invention isnot restricted to the illustrated embodiment but embraces all variations and modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

, I claim as my invention: 7 1

1. In a door latch mechanism, a latch casing and a rotary bolt pivotally mounted thereon for positioning at the edge of a door, a ratchet member having one end pivotally mounted on the casing, a pawl pivotally mounted on the bolt for bodily movement therewith, a spring effective for urging the pawl into engagement with the ratchet member when the bolt is in latched position for opposing unlatching rotation of the bolt, a manually slidable control member having a flange en- .gageable under the unpivoted end of said ratchet member in the normal position of the control .pivotal movement of the ratchet member, the

pawl engaging the top edge of the ratchet mem- 2. In a door latch mechanism, a rotary bolt movable to and from latching position by a keeper, means for retaining the bolt in any of a plurality of door holding positions including a pair of members one of which is a ratchet stationarily positioned during the latching movement of the mechanism and the other of which is a pawl connected to and bodily movable with the bolt and having an engaging end portion spaced from the latch bolt for engagement with the ratchet, spring means interposed between the latch bolt and pawl to yieldably hold the pawl in engagement with the ratchet and positively retain the bolt in any of a plurality of door holding positions, a movable latch control member having an engaging end portion engaged with said ratchet, to hold it stationary during door latching movements, and disengageable therefrom to release said ratchet to move into position to unlatch the door, and a projection on said pawl spaced from the engaging end portion thereof and engageable with the opposite side of said ratchet member from said engaging end portion and cooperating with said ratchet to move it into posi- 3. In a door latch mechanism, a latch casing and a rotary bolt pivotally mounted thereon for 10 positioning at the edge of a door, a ratchet member pivotally mounted on the casing for movement about a horizontal axis disposed adjacent one 01' its ends, and having a holding surface on its side opposite said bolt, a pawl pivotally mounted on said bolt for engagement with saidholding surface, a spring operatively engaging said pawl and effective for holding said pawl for bodily movement with said latch bolt and for urging said pawl into engagement with said holding surface of said ratchet member, a control member having an engaging end portion movable into one position to support said ratchet member in a door latching position and movable out of said position to free said ratchet member to pivot with respect to said control member, and said pawl having means engageable with the opposite side of said ratchet member from said engaging surface. to move said ratchet member into position to be engaged by said control member when said control member is moved from latched to latch release position when the door is open and the bolt is in unlatched position.

EDWARD D. DALL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 738,100 Cuntz Sept. 1, 1903 1,263,358 Anderson Apr. 23, 1918 1,389,339 Anderson Aug. 30, 1921 1,544,960 Watts July '7, 1925 2,231,075 Lakin Feb. 11, 1941 2,267,397 Dall Dec. 23, 1941 2,301,559 Marple Nov. 10, 1942 2,344,806 Dall Mar. 21, 1944 v, FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 25.596 Great Britain Nov. 13, 1906 

